Colorectal Surgery

As the name implies, a colorectal surgeon is a doctor who deals with mainly the lower digestive tract.  They study for many years in order to develop general surgical skills, and then add to it additional training to gain extensive understanding and expertise in this specific area of the body.  These specialists treat patients during the preoperative, operative and postoperative phases of care.  They deal with a wide variety of conditions that affect the colon, rectum and anal regions, and the treatment can be anything from nonoperative, elective surgery, or urgent surgery.

Both general surgeons and colorectal surgeons perform colorectal surgery; however, colorectal surgeons have additional expertise in colonoscopies, anorectal procedures, and managing such conditions as inflammatory bowel conditions.